Introduction

U. S. Highway 66 through the California Desert (before 1932)

Photographer Burton Frasher (1888-1955) combined a passion for automobile travel and photography into a postcard business that proved popular with motoring tourists. Frasher documented the remote Route 66 roadside businesses that sustained, and natural wonders that awed, anxious travelers across the Mojave Desert in the 1930s and 1940s. This selection of photographic postcards focus on the desert wayside stops and scenic vistas that motorists rushed through on the last leg of their journey west.

Colorado River Bridge near Needles, California

Burton Frasher, Colorado River Bridge near Needles, California, 1931
Photographic postcard
Frasher Foto Postcard Collection, Pomona Public Library
http://content.ci.pomona.ca.us/u?/Frasher,2053

Robinson's Motor Inn, Needles, California

Burton Frasher, Robinson's Motor Inn, Needles, California, 1941
Photographic postcard
Frasher Foto Postcard Collection, Pomona Public Library
http://content.ci.pomona.ca.us/u?/Frasher,2134

Mountain Springs Auto Camp

Burton Frasher, Mountain Springs Auto Camp 27 Miles West of Needles on Hwy 66, 1939
Photographic postcard
Frasher Foto Postcard Collection, Pomona Public Library
http://content.ci.pomona.ca.us/u?/Frasher,7137

Desert Scene near Mitchell's Caverns, Essex, California

Burton Frasher, Desert Scene Near Mitchell's Caverns, Essex, California, 1935
Photographic postcard
Frasher Foto Postcard Collection, Pomona Public Library
http://content.ci.pomona.ca.us/u?/Frasher,1161

Wayside Camp, Cafe and Store, Essex, California

Burton Frasher, Wayside Camp, Cafe and Store, U.S. 66 Essex, California, 1932
Photographic postcard
Frasher Foto Postcard Collection, Pomona Public Library
http://content.ci.pomona.ca.us/u?/Frasher,1515

Cadiz Summit Service, California

Burton Frasher, Cadiz Summit Service, California, 1948
Photographic postcard
Frasher Foto Postcard Collection, Pomona Public Library
http://content.ci.pomona.ca.us/u?/Frasher,3300

Chambless Service Station, Cadiz, California

Burton Frasher, Chambless Service Station, Cadiz, California, 1949
Photographic postcard
Frasher Foto Postcard Collection, Pomona Public Library
http://content.ci.pomona.ca.us/u?/Frasher,3300

Amboy Crater and Black Lava, California

Burton Frasher, Amboy Crater and Black Lava which poured from it 600 or 700 years ago, California, 1936
Photographic postcard
Frasher Foto Postcard Collection, Pomona Public Library
http://content.ci.pomona.ca.us/u?/Frasher,7512

Bagdad, California

Burton Frasher, Stop and See "Dave" for California Travel Information Bagdad, California - 210 Miles East of Los Angeles on Hi-way "66", 1939
Photographic postcard
Frasher Foto Postcard Collection, Pomona Public Library
http://content.ci.pomona.ca.us/u?/Frasher,985

Siberia Service Station, Ludlow, California

Burton Frasher, Siberia Service Station Post Office, Ludlow, California, 1939
Photographic postcard
Frasher Foto Postcard Collection, Pomona Public Library
http://content.ci.pomona.ca.us/u?/Frasher,2024

The Cliff House, Newberry, California

Burton Frasher, The Cliff House, Newberry, California, 1933
Photographic postcard
Frasher Foto Postcard Collection, Pomona Public Library
http://content.ci.pomona.ca.us/u?/Frasher,2085

Beacon Tavern, Barstow, California

Burton Frasher, Beacon Tavern on U.S. Highway 66, Barstow, California, 1944
Photographic postcard
Frasher Foto Postcard Collection, Pomona Public Library
http://content.ci.pomona.ca.us/u?/Frasher,79

Green Spot Cafe, Victorville, California

Burton Frasher, The Green Spot Cafe, Tourist Headquarters, Victorville, California, 1939
Photographic postcard
Frasher Foto Postcard Collection, Pomona Public Library
http://content.ci.pomona.ca.us/u?/Frasher,1518

Joshua Trees, Mojave Desert, California

Burton Frasher, Joshua Trees, Mojave Desert, California, 1927
Photographic postcard
Frasher Foto Postcard Collection, Pomona Public Library
http://content.ci.pomona.ca.us/u?/Frasher,5103

Summit of Cajon Pass, California

Burton Frasher, Summit of Cajon Pass Near San Bernardino, California, 1936
Photographic postcard
Frasher Foto Postcard Collection, Pomona Public Library
http://content.ci.pomona.ca.us/u?/Frasher,919